Harvest of Mars: History and War
Lions Led by Donkeys?: WWI and WWII Offensives Compared
“My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, excellent situation, I am attacking.”
– General Ferdinand Foch, 1914
In the episode, we take a look at the difference in offensives during the two world wars. It is commonly asserted that the defensive was superior in WWI, and thus the generals who ordered the attacks are often portrayed as unthinking donkeys who ordered futile attacks. Have memories of the horrors of Verdun and Passchendaele biased postwar judgements of the WWI generals? Are there other reasons that might explain why the combat in WWII was so markedly different than in WWI?
“My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, excellent situation, I am attacking.”
– General Ferdinand Foch, 1914
In the episode, we take a look at the difference in offensives during the two world wars. It is commonly asserted that the defensive was superior in WWI, and thus the generals who ordered the attacks are often portrayed as unthinking donkeys who ordered futile attacks. Have memories of the horrors of Verdun and Passchendaele biased postwar judgements of the WWI generals? Are there other reasons that might explain why the combat in WWII was so markedly different than in WWI?